diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 454882d..3e98e8b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -290,6 +290,23 @@ events, missing or invalid messages and parser failures are distinct tagged
 errors that keep the result and events. `Structured.decode/2` decodes a
 `%Result{}` from a run that used an explicit schema path.
 
+## Final message from plain-text runs
+
+`CodexWrapper.LastMessage.run/3` reads the final agent message independently
+of merged stdout and stderr, keeping the original process result:
+
+```elixir
+{:ok, text, result} =
+  CodexWrapper.Exec.new("Summarize the diff in one paragraph")
+  |> CodexWrapper.LastMessage.run(CodexWrapper.Config.new())
+```
+
+Works with `Exec`, `ExecResume`, `ExecFork` and `Review`. The wrapper creates
+a private temporary file and removes it after execution, including failures
+and raises. An explicit `output_last_message/2` path remains the caller's.
+Missing or empty output on exit zero returns `{:error, {:no_last_message, result}}`;
+a non-zero exit returns `{:error, {:process_failed, text, result}}`.
+
 ## Session resumption
 
 Resume a previous session:
diff --git a/docs/last-message-native-0.165.0.md b/docs/last-message-native-0.165.0.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d877be9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/last-message-native-0.165.0.md
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Last-message native probe
+
+Verified by the operator on macOS, 2026-11-01, with codex-cli 0.165.0.
+Run outside any git repository:
+
+```sh
+codex exec --ephemeral --ignore-user-config --skip-git-repo-check \
+  --model codex-wrapper-nonexistent-model -o <dir>/last.txt 'Reply with one word.'
+```
+
+The CLI started a session, warned that model metadata was not found, and
+printed twice that the model is not supported when using Codex with a
+ChatGPT account. It exited 1 without creating the `-o` file. With the
+wrapper's pre-created owned file, the file remains empty and the returned
+`{:process_failed, text, result}` carries `""` as its text.
diff --git a/lib/codex_wrapper/last_message.ex b/lib/codex_wrapper/last_message.ex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1bc93d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/codex_wrapper/last_message.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+defmodule CodexWrapper.LastMessage do
+  @moduledoc """
+  Run a command and read its final agent message from `--output-last-message`.
+
+      {:ok, text, result} =
+        CodexWrapper.Exec.new("Summarize the diff in one paragraph")
+        |> CodexWrapper.LastMessage.run(CodexWrapper.Config.new())
+
+  Supports `Exec`, `ExecResume`, `ExecFork` and `Review`. An explicit
+  `output_last_message/2` path is used as supplied and remains the caller's
+  responsibility. Otherwise this module owns a temporary file for the run.
+  Text is returned verbatim, independently of stdout and stderr.
+
+  A zero exit with a missing or empty file returns
+  `{:error, {:no_last_message, result}}`. A non-zero exit returns
+  `{:error, {:process_failed, text, result}}`, with `""` for a missing file.
+  With codex-cli 0.165.0 a failed turn exits non-zero without writing the file,
+  so an owned file is left empty and the text in `{:process_failed, text, result}` is `""`.
+  Other read failures return `{:error, {:last_message_read, reason, result}}`.
+  File creation failures return `{:error, {:last_message_file, reason}}`;
+  runner errors are returned unchanged.
+  """
+
+  alias CodexWrapper.{Config, Exec, ExecFork, ExecResume, Result, Review}
+
+  @type command :: Exec.t() | ExecResume.t() | ExecFork.t() | Review.t()
+  @type error ::
+          {:no_last_message, Result.t()}
+          | {:process_failed, String.t(), Result.t()}
+          | {:last_message_read, File.posix(), Result.t()}
+          | {:last_message_file, File.posix()}
+          | term()
+
+  @doc """
+  Run `command` and return its final agent message and original result.
+
+  Options are passed to the command's `execute/3`, including observation
+  options. The owned file is created with mode `0600` in `System.tmp_dir!/0`
+  and removed after execution on success, failure or raise. Explicit paths
+  are neither created ahead of execution nor removed by this module.
+  """
+  @spec run(command(), Config.t(), keyword()) ::
+          {:ok, String.t(), Result.t()} | {:error, error()}
+  def run(command, %Config{} = config, opts \\ []) when is_list(opts) do
+    module = command_module(command)
+
+    case command.output_last_message do
+      nil -> with_message_file(fn path -> execute(module, command, config, opts, path) end)
+      path -> execute(module, command, config, opts, path)
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp command_module(%Exec{}), do: Exec
+  defp command_module(%ExecResume{}), do: ExecResume
+  defp command_module(%ExecFork{}), do: ExecFork
+  defp command_module(%Review{}), do: Review
+
+  defp execute(module, command, config, opts, path) do
+    command
+    |> module.output_last_message(path)
+    |> module.execute(config, opts)
+    |> case do
+      {:ok, %Result{} = result} -> read_message(path, result)
+      {:error, _reason} = error -> error
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp read_message(path, result) do
+    case File.read(path) do
+      {:ok, text} -> outcome(text, result)
+      {:error, :enoent} -> outcome("", result)
+      {:error, reason} -> {:error, {:last_message_read, reason, result}}
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp outcome(text, %Result{exit_code: code} = result) when code != 0,
+    do: {:error, {:process_failed, text, result}}
+
+  defp outcome("", result), do: {:error, {:no_last_message, result}}
+  defp outcome(text, result), do: {:ok, text, result}
+
+  defp with_message_file(fun) do
+    path =
+      Path.join(
+        System.tmp_dir!(),
+        "codex-wrapper-last-message-#{System.pid()}-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}.txt"
+      )
+
+    with :ok <- File.write(path, "", [:exclusive]),
+         :ok <- File.chmod(path, 0o600) do
+      try do
+        fun.(path)
+      after
+        File.rm(path)
+      end
+    else
+      {:error, reason} ->
+        File.rm(path)
+        {:error, {:last_message_file, reason}}
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/mix.exs b/mix.exs
index a332200..583d89b 100644
--- a/mix.exs
+++ b/mix.exs
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ defmodule CodexWrapperEx.MixProject do
         "Config, results, support": [
           CodexWrapper.Config,
           CodexWrapper.Result,
+          CodexWrapper.LastMessage,
           CodexWrapper.SessionObservation,
           CodexWrapper.ObservedExecution,
           CodexWrapper.JsonLineEvent,
diff --git a/test/codex_wrapper/last_message_test.exs b/test/codex_wrapper/last_message_test.exs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d79869f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/codex_wrapper/last_message_test.exs
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+defmodule CodexWrapper.LastMessageTest do
+  use ExUnit.Case, async: true
+
+  alias CodexWrapper.{Config, Exec, ExecFork, ExecResume, LastMessage, Result, Review}
+
+  @fake Path.expand("../fixtures/fake_codex_last_message", __DIR__)
+
+  defmodule InspectRunner do
+    def run(mode, args, _opts, _timeout) do
+      index = Enum.find_index(args, &(&1 == "--output-last-message"))
+      path = Enum.at(args, index + 1)
+      send(self(), {:path, path, File.stat!(path)})
+
+      case mode do
+        "raise" ->
+          raise "runner failed"
+
+        "error" ->
+          {:error, :synthetic}
+
+        "read_error" ->
+          {:ok, {"noise", 0}}
+
+        "ok" ->
+          File.write!(path, "private message")
+          {:ok, {"noise", 0}}
+      end
+    end
+
+    def run_observed(mode, args, opts, timeout, {caller, reference}) do
+      unless "--json" in args, do: raise("expected observed execution")
+      send(caller, {reference, {:stdout, ~s({"type":"thread.started","thread_id":"fake"}\n)}})
+      {:ok, {stdout, code}} = run(mode, args, opts, timeout)
+      {:ok, {stdout, code, "separate stderr"}}
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp run_fake(scenario, command \\ Exec.new("summarize")) do
+    calls =
+      Path.join(System.tmp_dir!(), "last-message-calls-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}")
+
+    on_exit(fn -> File.rm(calls) end)
+
+    config =
+      Config.new(
+        binary: @fake,
+        timeout: 10_000,
+        env: [{"FAKE_CODEX_CALLS", calls}, {"FAKE_CODEX_SCENARIO", scenario}]
+      )
+
+    outcome = LastMessage.run(command, config)
+    path = calls |> File.read!() |> String.trim_trailing()
+    {outcome, path}
+  end
+
+  test "returns exact final text for all four commands and removes owned files" do
+    for command <- [Exec.new("x"), ExecResume.new(), ExecFork.new("source-thread"), Review.new()] do
+      assert {{:ok, "final message\n", %Result{exit_code: 0} = result}, path} =
+               run_fake("success", command)
+
+      assert result.stdout =~ "stdout noise"
+      assert result.stdout =~ "stderr noise"
+      refute File.exists?(path)
+    end
+  end
+
+  test "missing and empty successful output is no_last_message" do
+    for scenario <- ["missing", "empty"] do
+      assert {{:error, {:no_last_message, %Result{exit_code: 0}}}, path} = run_fake(scenario)
+      refute File.exists?(path)
+    end
+  end
+
+  test "nonzero exits retain text and result, including missing and empty files" do
+    for {scenario, text} <- [
+          {"failed", "final message\n"},
+          {"failed_missing", ""},
+          {"failed_empty", ""}
+        ] do
+      assert {{:error, {:process_failed, ^text, %Result{exit_code: 2}}}, path} =
+               run_fake(scenario)
+
+      refute File.exists?(path)
+    end
+  end
+
+  test "explicit paths remain the caller's for every command" do
+    path = Path.join(System.tmp_dir!(), "caller-message-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}")
+    on_exit(fn -> File.rm(path) end)
+
+    for command <- [Exec.new("x"), ExecResume.new(), ExecFork.new("source-thread"), Review.new()] do
+      command = %{command | output_last_message: path}
+      assert {{:ok, "final message\n", _result}, ^path} = run_fake("success", command)
+      assert File.read!(path) == "final message\n"
+    end
+  end
+
+  test "passes observation options through and preserves the result" do
+    config = Config.new(binary: "ok", runner: InspectRunner)
+    reference = make_ref()
+
+    assert {:ok, "private message", %Result{stdout: "noise", stderr: "separate stderr"}} =
+             LastMessage.run(Exec.new("x"), config, session_observer: {self(), reference})
+
+    assert_received {^reference, %CodexWrapper.SessionObservation{session_id: "fake"}}
+  end
+
+  test "read errors retain the original result and explicit path" do
+    config = Config.new(binary: "read_error", runner: InspectRunner)
+    command = Exec.new("x") |> Exec.output_last_message(__DIR__)
+
+    assert {:error, {:last_message_read, :eisdir, %Result{exit_code: 0}}} =
+             LastMessage.run(command, config)
+
+    assert File.dir?(__DIR__)
+  end
+
+  test "owned file is private and cleaned on success, runner errors and raises" do
+    for mode <- ["ok", "error", "raise"] do
+      config = Config.new(binary: mode, runner: InspectRunner)
+
+      case mode do
+        "ok" ->
+          assert {:ok, "private message", _} = LastMessage.run(Exec.new("x"), config)
+
+        "error" ->
+          assert {:error, :synthetic} = LastMessage.run(Exec.new("x"), config)
+
+        "raise" ->
+          assert_raise RuntimeError, "runner failed", fn ->
+            LastMessage.run(Exec.new("x"), config)
+          end
+      end
+
+      assert_received {:path, path, stat}
+      assert Bitwise.band(stat.mode, 0o777) == 0o600
+      assert Path.dirname(path) == Path.expand(System.tmp_dir!())
+      refute File.exists?(path)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/fixtures/fake_codex_last_message b/test/fixtures/fake_codex_last_message
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..e323ebc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/fake_codex_last_message
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+previous=''
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  if [ "$previous" = '--output-last-message' ] || [ "$previous" = '-o' ]; then
+    path="$arg"
+  fi
+  previous="$arg"
+done
+printf '%s\n' "$path" > "$FAKE_CODEX_CALLS"
+case "$FAKE_CODEX_SCENARIO" in
+  missing|failed_missing) rm -f "$path" ;;
+  empty|failed_empty) : > "$path" ;;
+  *) printf 'final message\n' > "$path" ;;
+esac
+printf 'stdout noise\n'
+printf 'stderr noise\n' >&2
+case "$FAKE_CODEX_SCENARIO" in
+  failed*) exit 2 ;;
+esac